In any industry, efficiency is the name of the game. In a perfect world, your office layout would facilitate a nice flow for patients, the EHR would perform flawlessly, everyone would get along, and your life would be easier. Unfortunately, it rarely ever works that way. And problems in the office place are much like a stone thrown into a pond; one problem's ripples affect the entire office. One of the best ways to simplify processes, limit mistakes, and increase profit margins in your practice is through quality staff training. Unfortunately, staff training is also one of the most neglected practices in any business. You know the feeling. Let me try and describe it...
The practice was an absolute madhouse. Staff and patients were running all over the place. You were performing exams, doling out instructions, and possibly even changing light bulbs and fixing toilets. You know, just another day at the office. But, finally, the crowd is dying down and you step into your office to finish the day's charts in your EHR before heading home. Yeah, right. If only it were that simple... Instead of signing a few John Hancock's, here's a small sample of what's facing you:
Here's the problem, though: These aren't simply mistakes made by your employees. Issues like the ones listed above (and hundreds of others that exist in medical offices) take a toll on your profit margins. You disagree? Maybe you're nodding your head up and down as you read the statement above? Let us explain... In any industry, efficiency is the name of the game. In a perfect world, your office layout would facilitate a nice flow for patients, the EHR would perform flawlessly, everyone would get along, and your life would be easier. Unfortunately, it rarely ever works that way. And problems in the office place are much like a stone thrown into a pond; one problem's ripples affect the entire office. One of the best ways to simplify processes, limit mistakes, and increase profit margins in your practice is through quality staff training. Unfortunately, staff training is also one of the most neglected practices in any business. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics found that employers with fewer than 100 employees provided only 12 minutes of manager training over a six-month period. We are presuming the numbers were so low for regular employees that they didn't even bother to measure them. This is a clear opportunity here for the vast majority of businesses to improve. The good news for you is that a little office training goes a long way. But where do you start? When it comes to staff training, the following three focus areas will have the greatest impact on your practice's ability to turn a profit: 1. Creating and Updating a Comprehensive Training Program 2. Cross training employees. 3. Perfecting Customer service We want to briefly dive into each of these areas to demonstrate the impact solid training can have on your profit margins. Our goal is to dive into each of these subjects at a deeper level later on. Implementing a Comprehensive Training Program and Manual We know. There is never an ideal time to bring a new employee on. What are you supposed to do? Take time out of a full day to teach them? Cancel a half-day of patients in order to walk them through the basics? Well, yes. That's exactly what you're supposed to do. And did you know that employees WANT more training? It's true. The reason this desire for training exists is that knowledge of an employee's job directly correlates to job satisfaction and employee morale. The phrase "knowledge is power" certainly applies to your staff. If you don't have a comprehensive training program in place, here are three reasons you should put your policies and procedures in writing:
We don't have to tell you the negative effects of being short an employee. And yes, unless you are overstaffed, there is no way to truly compensate for someone being out of the office. Your ultimate goal when someone is sick or has to miss work is to mitigate the damages. In this situation, your biggest enemy is employee (and your own) frustration. So, what does cross training have to do with this? Well, there is nothing more frustrating for an employee than not knowing what they are doing. And in the fast paced medical world, these frustrations can boil over quickly. When this happens, it simply cannot be hidden. Cross training your employees doesn't mean that they are going to be all-stars at every position in your practice, but that's not the goal. What you want is to equip your staff as a whole to adequately fill in for the missing employee. Here are a few ways you can cut down on the confusion and frustration within your office in order to compensate for someone being out sick, etc.:
Customer Service It's no secret that the competition in the medical eye care industry is stiff. The number of options and quality care has never been better. What's our point? Well, with all of the options when it comes to eye care, you simply cannot afford to overlook customer service training for your staff. Just how important is it? A 2015 survey by Aspect Consumer Experience found that 76% of consumers say they view customer service as the true test of how much a company values them. You most likely don't have a customer service department. That means that, in an office of five, you are ALL the customer service department. Sitting down with your team and discussing the expectations you have of them with regard to staff/patient interactions could be one of the easiest ways to improve your bottom line. As the leader of your practice, you have to be cognizant of what is taking place in the office from a customer service standpoint. You constantly need to be listening to commend great customer service and reprimand any deviation away from the standard of excellence required for a successful business. Here are three reasons why it greatly benefits your practice to make customer service a top priority.
When you're building something, building a solid infrastructure can be the difference in success and failure. In the medical world, it's much more likely that it is the difference between a profitable and a extremely lucrative practice. If you spend a few months focusing on building a comprehensive training program, cross training your employees, and establishing good customer service practices, you will be one step closer to maximizing your practice's profitability. What other ways can you invest your staff to maximize your profitability? We would love to hear your thoughts! Fill out the form below and let us know!
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AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
August 2019
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